Scott Kay, founder of Scott Kay Inc. has recently passed away after a heart attack on December 4th at the age of 57. He is survived by his wife, Regina and their three children.

The trailblazing entrepreneur – whose career in the jewelry industry spanned almost four decades – will be remembered by many of his colleagues and friends as a vivacious, outspoken personality with a zest for life and a passion for his craft.

That passion was sparked when Kay was just barely a young adult. Walking home one day on the streets of Brooklyn, he picked up a lug nut out of curiosity and spent the next several hours fashioning it into a pinky ring. He knew he had found his calling.

He launched his own fine jewelry design house in 1984. At the time, he was searching for something to set himself apart from many of his other competitors, and he found it through the use of platinum. He was quoted in Florida’s Sun Sentinel years later stating, “Platinum stands for the best of the best. Platinum credit cards, platinum records. Why does it have no presence in our industry?” Nowadays, he is often credited as the man who brought life back to platinum in the jewelry industry.

His personal brand achieved elevated success, driven in large part by his personal philosophy which became his brand’s motto: “never compromise”. The cornerstones of his brand were meticulous attention for the smallest detail, and the incorporation of personal, spiritual and religious themes. Many were drawn to his work for the emotional connections they elicited. He also grew a celebrity following, those who embraced his unique vision: Gwyneth Paltrow, Michael Jackson, Heidi Klum, Salma Hayek among those included.

Although he will be dearly missed, his legacy and life’s work still lives on through the brand he created. The Scott Kay Company will continue to uphold his passion and vision, and he will continue to touch and inspire those who connect through his pieces.

An extremely rare piece of diamond rough was recently discovered at the famous Cullinan mine in South Africa, a 122.52 carat blue beauty that is estimated to sell for up to $35 million.

Comparable rough blue diamonds (over 100 carats) are somewhat of a legend: there have only been three or four that were ever recovered according a spokesperson of Petra Diamonds Ltd., the company that currently owns the Cullinan mine. Also in the blue diamond 100-carat plus club is the 115 carat rough from which ‘The Hope Diamond’ was cut. Often described as the most famous diamond in the world, The Hope is a 45.52 carat, Fancy Dark Grayish Blue diamond that is on permanent display at the Smithsonian Museum in New York.

The highest price paid for a rough diamond to date is $35.3 million. That record was achieved by the sale of a 507-carat colorless diamond, which was unearthed at the same Cullinan mine in 2010. Many diamond industry analysts are speculating that their newest find can rival, or even surpass, the $35 million mark.

Blue diamonds get their color from traces of boron impurities trapped in the carbon structure during formation. The crystallized carbon molecules form a very tight lattice structure that is nearly impenetrable; that is the reason for a diamond’s unparalleled hardness. It also makes it very unlikely for any impurities to be introduced into the structure, which is why blue diamonds (and other colors caused by impurities) are exceedingly rare and valuable.

Now there may be a way to keep all of your diamonds sparkly, the green way. The first ever eco-friendly fine jewelry cleaner willbe available to jewelry lovers as early as January next year. The Kingswood Company – which specializes in high quality, private label jewelry care products – have announced the creation of a cleaner with all natural ingredients.

The idea of a natural jewelry cleaner came several years ago, when the company sensed there was a growing demand for natural household products. Years of research and development led to the creation of the Kingswood Company’s Natural Jewelry Cleaner, the only cleaner in the world that is EPA listed. Each of its ingredients are biologically derived and most are organic; it is made to be much gentler on the skin than other traditional jewelry cleaners.

The cleaner will make its debut at this year’s annual JCK jewelry industry trade show in Las Vegas. It will compete along with 6 other product finalists in in the trade show’s version of Shark Tank, designed after the popular ABC TV program with the same name.

“We believe that this formula fills a gap in the jewelry cleaner market,” explained Kristie Nicolosi, the president and CEO of The Kingswood Company. “Other eco-friendly cleaners on the market, quite frankly, do not work well. Our Natural Jewelry Cleaner is not only ‘green’ but makes jewelry sparkle as well.”

Found in a riverbed in Venezuela, a 217.78 gram gold specimen was recently confirmed by scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory to be the largest single crystal of gold in the world. So rare is a single gold crystal of this size, that although the metal gold value is only worth approximately $10,000, this crystal’s value is worth over $1.5 million.

To put the significance of its’ size into perspective, a typical gold crystal only measures about 0.25mm. The crystal specimen tested at Los Alamos is 150 times larger than that, or about the same size as a golf ball.

The owner of the record-holding gold crystal is a man from North Carolina, USA who collected other similar specimens over a 30 year stretch in the jungles of Venezuela. He had sent it to renowned gold crystallography expert John Rakovan, to be tested along with three other samples.

Rakovan and his team used neutron imaging technology to confirm three out of the four specimens were single crystals. “The structure or atomic arrangement of gold crystals of this size has never been studied before, and we have a unique opportunity to do so,” he commented.

Unlike gold nuggets, gold crystals are very rare to find in nature. A gold nugget is formed primarily from gold crystals, but also include some other metal impurities such as silver and copper. Gold nuggets usually range from 20K to 22K purity, while a gold crystal is the purest form of gold available.

The 24K gold alloy used in jewelry and bullion is classified as having 999.5/1000 parts gold or higher; it is impossible to reach crystal form, or 1000/1000 parts pure, through refining processes.

Restoration of your antique jewelry is the preservation of your family’s heritage. Your meaningful jewelry pieces can be handed down over generations. Grandma’s diamond engagement ring or great-grandma’s antique brooch were given to them by your forefathers to ensure the prosperity of you and your family and to celebrate the love that once was.

Jewelry restoration requires several technical steps in order to bring each piece as close as possible to its original condition. Many processes are used to restore jewelry including cleaning, polishing, replacing lost stones, re-cutting or replace chipped diamonds and gemstones, repairing broken and worn prongs, thickening bezel walls, fixing bent shanks, replacing worn or broken shanks, engraving, applying filigree or millegraining, etc.

The original manufacture of a piece fine antique jewellery is often very complex and a mediocre repair can weaken the jewel. With an historic or an antique piece, it is advisable to seek professional help from a specialist jeweler, preferably a jeweler that’s also a gemologist. A repair estimate should be free so it’s a good idea to consult a few jewelers who have experiences.

About 40 years ago, you could have made a phone call from your 23 cm long, 0.8kg mobile phone – that is, if you were rich enough to afford one. Nowadays, nearly everyone in the developed world has a smartphone. Forget about just using your phone for texting or calling! Nowadays you can do anything from check your email and connect to social media, to starting your car (Directed SmartStart) and as a POS system to accept credit card payments (Square Register). The more technology we have, the more we want. But is it getting to be a little too much?

In the race for producing new “smart” products to make our lives easier, there have been some amazing products and some that don’t measure up.

Recently, we have seen a surge in tech wearables – Google glasses, smart bracelets, smart watches; you name it, and they are making it. One of the newest crazes to hit the market are smart rings. Through crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, concepts like the Smarty Ring, Fin, and Ring have gained a lot of support and media attention. However, while many manufacturers are offering up their version of a smart ring, none have been successful in creating one on a consumer scale. Why?

Most of the problems center on its size. When trying to fit all of the sensors and functions (not to mention the battery) into a gadget that is less than an inch wide and hollow to boot, you are going to have to make sacrifices. And the very first sacrifice is the wearability: all smart rings and prototypes on the market today are wide and thick, which could be uncomfortable for every day wear as they are intended for. Another factor is that they are made with materials like hard plastics and steel, which aren’t as durable or allergy-safe. There is a reason why silver, gold, and platinum are the standard metals for jewelry: they have stood the test of time.

For all of their promises of Bluetooth enabling, user interfaces with motion sensors, vibration and more, we have yet to see a fully functional example of a smart ring. The majority are currently in various prototype stages. Experts are concerned that the miniaturization will affect the smart rings’ performance. Don Lehman, an industrial designer based in NYC, agrees. “Wearables are hard. No one has gotten bracelets just right yet, so how can we expect that same tech to shrink down further to rings?”

Even if these new smart rings worked as they should, would it really be that useful?

Ring, for example, has a text transmission function the user to write a message in the air rather than type it out on a cell phone. But you still have to use the phone to select contact, and customize the message. Fin has a security authenticator feature that can be used as an extra protection to unlock your other devices. But like all other accessories, a ring can easily be lost, and it would be a hassle to unlock your devices without it. Other common features of smart rings include receiving social media alerts, remote control for home appliances, and storage of a small amount of data. Rather than simplifying, smart rings seem to just add another layer of interaction to what you’re already doing.

The idea does hold some promise for the future, as technology progresses. But as of right now, take a pass on that new smart ring.

Long-time beau and film producer Matt Rutler popped the big question to his superstar girlfriend Christina Aguilera on Valentine’s Day, on a romantic getaway in Hawaii. Of course, she said yes!

Rutler had spent over a year designing the perfect engagement ring, which includes nine surprise gemstones on the inside band. Each of the surprise colored stones were chosen with great care and consideration. A source close to the newly engaged couple told People magazine, “Christina is very spiritual, and having the stones touch her actual skin will emit positive [energy that will surround] her at all times. The gems represent things like love, protection and healing.”

More visible characteristics feature a band intertwined with diamonds, said to signify the twists and turns in their three-year courtship. No doubt one of them will include Aguilera’s unexpected pregnancy, as media reports she is happily expecting her first child with Rutler.

Since her doting fiancé designed the ring in secret, he wanted to be sure she would love it. The Art Deco style engagement ring features a combination of elements from two of Aguilera’s favorite vintage rings – a very clever and thoughtful idea when planning a secret engagement ring!

The star broke the news of her engagement to Rutler on Valentines day by tweeting a picture of them with the caption, “He asked and I said…”

And then she let her engagement ring do all the talking!

The couple first met when on the set of the 2010 movie “Burlesque” starring Christina Aguilera and Cher. Rutler was a film assistant for the production.

This will be Christina’s second walk down the aisle; she was previously married to Jordan Bratman, with whom she has a six-year old son, Max.

A recent discovery of zircon deposits in the Jack Hills region of Western Australia proves to be the oldest known fragments of Earth, and provides ground-breaking evidence that life on Earth could have formed earlier than previously thought.

Zircons are the gold standard for accurately determining the age of surrounding rocks; due to the fact that they are plentiful in the Earth’s crust, are exceptionally resistant to chemical changes, and have a uranium content sufficient for testing.

Dr. John Valley and his team of geoscientists chose one very small fragment to test in order to determine its age. The widely accepted uranium-lead dating technique was used first; by determining how much uranium in the zircon had decayed, Valley and his team pinpointed the zircon to be around 4.4 billion years old.

Since this technique can yield false results due to the lead’s ability of movement within and outside of the mineral, a second process was used to verify accuracy. The atom-probe technique found the lead atoms had not moved significantly, confirming the age of the zircon to be 4.4 billion years old. The significance lies in the fact that Earth itself was formed only 4.5 billion years ago, from a collision that turned it into a fiery, uninhabitable mass. By pinpointing the age of the zircon material, we can conclude that the formation of Earth’s crust was also at least 4.4 billion years ago.

This finding supports the hypothesis of a ‘cool early Earth’, where temperatures were stabilized and low enough to create a hydrosphere to support microbial life. Scientists have estimated the timeframe to be 100 million years after the formation of the crust.

“The discovery that the zircon crystal, and thereby the formation of the crust, dates from 4.4 billion years ago suggests that the planet was perhaps capable of sustaining microbial life 4.3 billion years ago,” Valley said. “We have no evidence that life existed then. We have no evidence that it didn’t. But there is no reason why life could not have existed on Earth 4.3 billion years ago,” he added.